Jake Fairley’s widely acclaimed Fairmontalias has been merging club, indie and electronica aesthetics for some time already. His latest album, Automaton offers the fullest crossover of the styles so far though.

It’s his third album overall but his first one for Toronto’s My Favorite Robot Recordings; a move that has seemingly amplified his desire to fuse the sensibilities further.

Fairmont himself supplies his own vocals to each track, adding a more natural form to a unique album that is soaked in new wave signatures. Full of reverb, vintage synths and classic drum machines, Automaton has a heavily nostalgic feel but is peppered with too many modern adornments to be labeled as simply revivalist. Sleek techno grooves infiltrate proceedings alongside hypnotic electro to ensure that this LP is as forward thinking as it is retrospective.

The album is rich in blurry and hazy atmospherics, which play up to Fairmont’s distinct songwriting style. Such is his skill that he manages to conjure up moments of warmth and heartfelt tenderness amongst a record that is so often dark and melancholic.

Highly atmospheric and diverse in terms of its scope of musical genres, Automaton is just another reminder of why Fairmont’s appeal has spread the world over.

This expertly produced album not only excites but also blurs the lines of indie, pop and electronica in a very natural way. This feels like a genuine cross-pollination of genres rather than a slap dash attempt to bring different sounds together. The result is fully immersive from start to finish.